Five of Connecticut’s hottest culinary talents take on Manhattan with a regional wine dinner inspired by Connecticut’s waterways, fields and cheese cave
Move over, Vermont. Food critics, gourmands and locavores are buzzing about Connecticut’s white-hot farm table food scene. The James Beard House is bringing five of the Nutmeg State’s leading culinary talents to Manhattan for a regional Farm Table Feast on April 12.
From tender spring lamb to impossibly creamy burrata, leading chefs know that fresh local ingredients are the key to memorable meals. To showcase the region’s culinary riches, the Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook hand-picked five stars of Connecticut’s culinary scene to collaborate on a killer, multicourse feast. (With wine pairings!)
You know how you “just know” when a new restaurant is going to be good? That’s the feeling you get in the first ten minutes at Brick + Wood, a new restaurant and wine bar in Fairfield’s Brick Walk Plaza on the site of the former Ponte Vecchio restaurant. When you make a great find like this, it’s a double-edged sword: You want to share it with friends, but at the same time keep it your secret a little longer. We decided to share. You’re welcome.
On a recent lunch visit, as we perused the distressed-wood and worn-brick decor, an amuse bouche appeared out of nowhere—two crispy crostini topped with fluffy homemade ricotta, sautéed broccoli rabe and imported prosciutto—as if to say, “Let’s get this party started.”
Mild and milky, smooth and silky: any way one stretches it, people love fresh mozzarella! And in this hands-on crash course, participants will learn to make it at home. On November 15th, from 10:30 -noon, Chef Pietro will explain coagulation as how milk turns from fluid to firm curds. Then, participants will roll up their sleeves to turn curds into the beautiful balls that are known as fresh mozzarella. Taste several samples of fresh cheeses (think mozzarella, burrata!).
Local Chef Pietro Scotti, of DaPietro's in Westport will teach the ins and outs tof making fresh mozzarella and burrata in this Saturday Cheese-Making Workshop at Wakeman Town Farm. To register, simply email wakemantownfarm@gmail.com and provide the name and number of people in your party. Class is $45 per person, and limited to 12. Respondents will be notified of acceptance into the workshop and will pay at the door.
If you love local, there’s a novel new way to get your fix this fall/winter at Sugar & Olives in Norwalk (21 ½ Lois St. 2-3 454 FOOD). It’s called FARMS AND A MARKET, and the first one pops up Friday, November 7 from 3-7 p.m. This indoor, rain-or-shine market/outing will run every Friday through February (except after Thanksgiving Christmas and New Year’s), offering locally produced edibles, including milk, eggs, cheese, honey flour, grains, produce and meats. You can stock up on staples, and stick around for a cocktail, a snack or and supper, or grab and go from that week’s food truck and take it home for dinner.
When the first Market rolls out, you’ll find fresh produce eggs and meat from Starlight Gardens in Durham CT and Snow Hill Farm in North Salem, NY, both Certified Organic Farms that follow NOFA practices (no GMOS, no pesticides, no antibiotics, and ethical practices). The Market will also have fresh Arethusa Milk on hand, locally milled flour from Wild Hive Farm in Clinton Corners, NY, Red Bee Honey (Weston), Brookside Farm maple syrup (Litchfield), and cheese, glorious cheese, from select local cheesemakers.
Despite the threat of looming thunderstorms, the show went on at Wakeman Town Farm Monday night, as more than 200 —farmers, food artisans and writers, chefs and food lovers turned out for the Farmer-Chef Connection, a grassroots event focusing on why sourcing and buying local is so important.
Moderated by Elizabeth Beller, WTF chairman, the panel included Bill Taibe, chef at The Whelk and Le Farm, Lori Cochran of the Westport Farmer’s Market, Rene Giroux, the head grower for Gilbertie’s, Nancy Roper, chef of Boxcar Cantina, along with Michael Aitkenhead, WTF Steward and teacher of environmental science at Staples High School.
The main event started with a discussion about what we, as a community, can do to make it more appealing to buy from local vendors, farmers’ markets and farm-to-table restaurants, as well as what chefs of all stripes can do to work together to leverage their local purchasing power.
A recent event at Terrainbrought together farmers, foodies and local food purveyors to kick off the spring season and to introduce the Garden Café’s new Executive Chef, Jared Frazer, to the Westport dining scene.
The introduction of the new chef is good news to fans of Terrain who previously gave mixed reviews to Garden Café’s food. After a few lunches and the recent spring dinner party, it’s clear that Chef Frazer has a firm grip on the farm-to-table concept, recently completing a stint as Sous Chef at Terrain’s Glen Mills flagship café. He brings over 13 years of culinary experience including Executive Chef and Chef de Cuisine at Supper in Philadelphia and Perry’s in Washington, DC. He also worked with world renowned Chefs Jose Andres and Michel Richard in several top restaurants throughout Washington, DC, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Ahh...harvest time. So many veggies, so little time before they spoil. Wondering what to do with that bumper crop of gorgeous organic tomatoes and gigantic squash from the garden? Don’t let them go to waste! Instead, come to the Wakeman Town Farm on Saturday, September 8th from 9am-12pm, and learn how to can and preserve your harvest to enjoy all winter. During this three-hour workshop, you’ll learn the basics of canning and how to make both delicious jam and tomato sauce. You’ll even be able to take a few jars home to stock the pantry! Cost is $35 if pre-registered, $40 at the door. Wakeman Town Farm, 134 Cross Highway, Westport. Space is limited; please register early.
If you’re a sucker for hand-baked bread and artisanal cheese and seasonal farm fare (and who isn’t?) you'll want to head over to Barnes & Noble in Westport this Sunday, May 6 at 11 a.m. for a book signing, foodie and children’s event in support of Westport's Wakeman Town Farm.
Jason Sobocinski of New Haven's Caseus restaurantand host of “The Big Cheese” will join SoNo Bakery's John Barricelli, host of "Everyday Baking," to offer tastes and sign copies of their beautiful cookbooks, Caseus Fromagerie Bistro Cookbook and the SoNo Baking Company Cookbook as part of a Bookfair Fundraiser for Wakeman Farm.
Not only will you get to meet the authors and peruse their new books, but Caseus is bringing its famed Cheese Truck to the event. The Cheese Truck is a mobile kitchen that drives the streets of New Haven selling to-die-for grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, daily sausages, salads and more!
The Westport Farmers’ Market, The Wakeman Town Farm, and Right to Know CT invite you to join them for a discussion on the dangers of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in our foods. Don't be Fooled by GMOs taking place on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at Westport Inn on 1595 Post Road East Westport, 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
This is a hot-button issue, as there is a bill circulating to require CT to label foods with GMOs, which would make CONNECTICUT the FIRST state to pass a mandatory GMO labeling bill. Last week, the bill passed with a 23-6 vote in the Environmental Committee. This is historic and unprecedented.
In a world all about “grab and go,” I was happy to stumble upon “Nothin' But” snack bars after a spinning class at Joy Ride in Westport recently. That same week, we spotted them at the Westport Farmers’ market and the Village Market in Wilton. Seems that the chewy little bars, packed with ‘nothin’ but’ organic oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits and hand-mixed with organic cane sugar, olive oil and honey have found a cult following in Fairfield County. Not only are these the tastiest and most nutritionally dense snack bars we’ve tried (not too dry, not too sweet, loaded with fruits, nuts and all-natural ingredients), they’re also packaged in re-sealable Ziploc bags so that you can eat half in the morning and save the other half for a midday pick-me-up (if you have the willpower).
GRAZE home delivery service is throwing down the gauntlet to our CTbites readers with a trivia contest. The first person to answer the following questions will WIN a Green Mountain Deluxe Basket ($100 value). Do you know the answers? Good luck!
Which state in the US has the highest number of cheese makers per capita?
In ratio of cows to people, which US state has the greatest number of dairy cows?
Got kids? Like pancakes? And bacon? And all things farm-y and fun?
Come on down to an old-fashioned “Pancake Breakfast & Pop Up Farmers' Market," a family event at Wakeman Town Farm (134 Cross Hwy, Westport) on Sunday, October 2 from 9 a.m.-noon. It's a fun, fall $5 Pancake Breakfast and Pop-Up Farmers' Market on the farm, featuring an array of local vendors and craftspeople selling everything from artisanal foods to handmade crafts from an eclectic assortment of local vendors. (Rain or shine.)
In addition to a country farm breakfast with pancakes, nitrate-free bacon and fresh maple syrup and coffee and juice, sponsored by Christie’s Country Store and Graze Delivered, there will be a host of local vendors and craftspeople selling their wares in a festive, farmers' market atmosphere.
This fresh-tasting tomato basil bisque is a great way to use all of those juicy (but bruised or imperfect) late-season tomatoes from the garden and the farmers' market. Not only is it quick to make, but it freezes well. Graze customers keep asking, “Are you SURE there’s no cream in this soup?” The secret is out: We thicken the soup with pureed butternut squash! Serve with a simple salad of arugula and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and a loaf of crusty Italian bread for a simple, al fresco lunch.
After more than three decades as the maestro at other people’s restaurants, Angelo Capponi, the proud owner of Pane e Bene, 1620 Post Road in Westport, struts around his new Italian restaurant and bar like a proud papa.
Pane e Bene means “bread and goodness.” To Angelo, it signifies, “Freshly prepared, simple food, nice décor and an ‘experience’.” He explains, “We want to give people what they don’t find elsewhere; a place where you feel special. The opposite of places where you feel like they’re doing you a favor.”
Just two months into opening, with talented chef and partner Henry Lopez in the kitchen (“a partner who radiates goodness inside and out,” Angelo says), the word on Pane e Bene is out.
Got Meat? Barnum Hill Farm Meat CSA Now Open to Fairfield County Residents
Just in time for barbecue season, Barnum Hill Farm (BHF) is offering a limited number of memberships its bi-monthly Meat CSA, exclusively to Fairfield County residents. The Meat CSA brings all-natural, Vermont-raised beef, pork and poultry from a collective of small family farms right to your doorstep. These farms adhere to humane and sustainable practices in a healthy and humane environment, free of antibiotics and without use of artificial growth hormones.
The cattle raised for Barnum Hill Farm are pastured outdoors during the seasonal months, where they graze on a steady diet of lush grasses and clover. To ensure the perfect balance of marbling and flavor, cows are finished on a diet of natural grains prior to harvesting.
While the rest of us bitch that downtown Westport virtually shuts down before the sun sets, Bob Le Rose, the owner of Bobby Q’s Barbeque & Grill, and the president of the Downtown Merchant’s Association, is slyly doing something about it, turning his popular rooftop bar into a funky Beer Garden, complete with a thousand twinkling outdoor lights, a newly installed garden and a respectable selection of domestic microbrews.
“We’ve been sitting on this terrific asset for six years now,” says LeRose, about the newly opened Bobby’s Rooftop Beer Garden, a rooftop space that has long been the site for live music, well before Bobby Q’s came to town. Though Bobby Q’s had been using the space for live music and private parties, LeRose said he didn’t fully throw his resources behind it until the town started banging the drum for more nightlife. He says, “When P&Z started loosening up their regulations about outdoor spaces, we thought, “Let’s carve out a place in the community that is totally unique.
When the River Cat shuttered its doors in March, after 12 years on Rowayton’s main drag, the closure of the beloved neighborhood restaurant and bar left a gaping hole in Rowayton’s dining and social scene.
So when I returned to check out the recently launched SAILS, a new American bistro with a spiffed up nautical vibe, I wasn’t surprised that the highly polished teak bar was three-deep with old-timers and new fans, making themselves right at home in a familiar, yet completely transformed haunt.
My friend Lloyd Allen is crazy. At least that’s what people said years ago when he decided to go into the fashion business (yet wound up igniting a rage for trendy rain ponchos), publish a book about former neighbor Martha Stewart (despite the fact that she had just been indicted) and, two years ago, re-open his 1980s farm stand, the Double L (in a ramshackle red-barn structure in Southport).
Still, when Lloyd gets an idea into his head, there’s no stopping him. Perhaps it’s his “just do it” quality that makes people root for him against all odds.
So when the rickety red building that housed the Double L was finally too dilapidated to be useful, Lloyd teamed up with Michael Van Haaften and set out in search of a site where they could create a year-round indoor farm stand
For as long as I can remember, Roget Martinpresided over Voila! in Fairfield, a jam-packed French bistro housed in a homey, red shingled building across from the Town Green. Then, one day, Voila! had disappeared and, in it’s place stood the very fine Osianna, an upscale Mediterranean newcomer and a worthy replacement.
Still, I wondered what had happened to the affable and ruddy-cheeked Roget, who, as maître d’, had lovingly presided over Voila!, sharing jokes and stories and dispensing large pours of Beaujolais to throngs of happy repeat diners.
Imagine my surprise when a friend introduced me to Bon Appétit Café, a charming yet unassuming French café, tucked into the Stop and Shop plaza in the heart of Wilton. Though Roget was nowhere in sight when I entered, his fingerprints were all over the place. Though the décor and vibe were night and day from Voila! to Bon Appetit, the food and service were a dead giveaway.
Whereas Voila! was known for its rollicking Saturday night scene and standing-only room crowds, Bon Appetit is first and foremost a casual neighborhood lunch and dinner spot, popular for both dining in and takeout.
Twice a year, I schlep into New York for “Restaurant Week” to experience some of the city’s finest eateries for a fraction of regular prices, like my unforgettable, three-course feast at Pera Mediterranean Brasserie, voted a “Top 5 Newcomer by Zagat” at January’s NYC Restaurant Week.
When I learned that Restaurant Week is finally making its way up to Westport, home to over 35 eateries, I began lining up my dining partners—and you should, too.
The First Annual Westport-Weston Restaurant Week will take place from February 28-March 6, and we at CTbites plan to make the most of it. As of this printing, some 20 Westport restaurants, with a range of cuisines and price points, have signed on. The list represents a cross-section of local venues, both casual and high-end, from the down-and-dirty Black Duck and the down-home Bobby Q’s to the organic dynamo, The Dressing Room, to the perennially popular Tarantino’s and DaPietro’s, to newcomers including Manolo and Rizzuto’s.
“Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to try out a restaurant that may be out of your budget
Five of Connecticut’s hottest culinary talents take on Manhattan with a regional wine dinner inspired by Connecticut’s waterways, fields and cheese cave
